Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Girls in White Dresses

I just finished reading Girls in White Dresses, by Jennifer Close, which captured life of an almost-thirty-year-old (gasp) perfectly. Following a group of girlfriends from college into their late 20's, I found myself relating to their years of bridal showers, baby showers, break-ups, job changes, those friendships that stayed strong and those that fell apart. I read it on my Kindle, so I highlighted several passages as I went along that made me think, ohmygosh, yes. this is so my life. Last night, after I had finished the book, I went back and read everything I had highlighted. This passage from when one of the characters was visiting BC, where she had gone to school, pretty much sums up exactly how I feel whenever I go back to Austin. That feeling of homesickness I get from just being in that city, the nostalgia that pulls at my heart when the UT tower first comes into view as I drive into town. It makes me wish I didn't have to "grow up" --

It made her sad to think they'd never be back there again, never bounce from bar to bar drinking and dancing just because they could, just because they should. It wasn't that she wanted to be in college again, exactly. No, she just missed it sometimes, the aftermath of those nights out, inexplicable bruises and lost wallets, phone numbers being requested, make-outs with near strangers in crowded bars.

I don't want to be in college again, not exactly. I love where I am now - with my husband, my friends, my house, my life. But there is a part of me that wants to go back to being in school, where I lived with my best friends, slept late everyday, and never had to worry about actually cooking a meal. If you are in your post-college life and still manage to live like you're in school... props to ya.